Blame It on the Booze
by Beautiful Sensations
Summary: AU. Lucy, a student in one of the most renowned academies in Magnolia, one of the most popular girls in school and always followed around by a trail of lovesick boys, is determined not to let anything come in her way, especially since she's a prefect. But what if that something happens to be a drunk, pink haired pyromaniac? NaLu.


Summary- AU. Lucy, a student in one of the most renowned academies in Magnolia, one of the most popular girls in school and always followed around by a trail of lovesick boys, is determined not to let anything come in her way, especially since she's a prefect. But what if that something happens to be a drunk, pink haired pyromaniac? NaLu.

_**Standard disclaimers**_** apply.**

* * *

It was a bright and beautiful day, warmly pleasant. The leaves rustled in the sweet-smelling breeze and there was not a cloud in the azure sky. The birds twittered outside the window of the classroom, the golden sun rays filtering in, falling on the happy students who were talking avidly about the new school year, trying to make new friends on the first day of school. Everything was peaceful, calm and jolly.

There was only one disturbance- and what a loud disturbance it was!

"CANA!" screeched Lucy. "What have you done to Natsu!?"

Lucy, one of the newest prefects of Fairy High, had walked into the classroom a few minutes ago- a trail of desperate boys behind her- with a determined look on her face. Being a prefect in one of the most renowned academies in town was definitely a privilege, and she was all set to play the part. She had to maintain decorum, both in herself and her fellow students. Yes! She was going to do this!

….but that train of thought had abruptly broken into tiny little pieces when she had entered the classroom and seen Natsu belly dancing on top of the teachers' table, cackling insanely with his tongue hanging out.

And needless to say, it had _not_ beena very pleasant sight- even for Lucy, who usually found everything connected to Natsu incredibly pleasing, infatuated as she was with the rose haired boy. Natsu was incredibly daft at times (okay, okay, _all the time_), but even _he_ wasn't crazy enough to _belly dance_ on top of the teachers' table. She had been about to yell at him when she saw the perpetrator sitting next to him, guffawing her head off….

Cana. With an innocent water bottle in her hand, which obviously did _not _contain harmless H2O.

Hence the accusation.

Cana made _tch-tch_ noises at the blonde, saying, "Lucy, you can't just accuse me like that." Then, grinning mischievously, she added, "Besides, I didn't _tell_ him to drink, I just _suggested_ it since he was getting bored." She made exaggerated gesticulations to prove her point.

"You're not allowed to bring alcoholic drinks to school, Cana," replied Lucy, scathingly.

"The bottle's empty!"

"You're not allowed to drink in school either!"

"I do it every day."

"Well, just because _you _do it every day doesn't mean you have to tell others to do it as well! Not everyone has a strong resistance towards alcohol like you. Look at Natsu, now! He's drunk! Erza will be FURIOUS if she sees him like this," reprimanded Lucy. Cana _tch-tched _again and folded her arms across her chest.

"I _told _you, I just suggested it. He was the one getting bored. Besides, how was I supposed to know that the kid's a lightweight? And Erza's busy with the upcoming School Festival; she won't be checking classes today."

Lucy sighed in frustration and defeat. Arguing with Cana was futile. She just hoped that Natsu wouldn't get caught.

* * *

Lucy glanced over at Natsu nervously. The first lesson had begun- English literature, her favourite subject- but try as she might, she could not pay attention to the teacher's lecture on medieval prose and poetry. Her thoughts kept riveting back to Natsu and his drunken state.

His head was on his desk, and he kept mumbling and snorting at regular intervals, while the people around him gave him looks ranging from annoyance to curiosity to amusement to disgust. The English teacher, finally unable to ignore his constant muttering, said sharply, "Natsu! What in the world has happened to you?"

He stood up, grinning foolishly, and alarm shot through Lucy. What if he was sent to the principal, or even worse, _Erza?! _ Looking insanely pleased with himself, he replied, "Blarararargh."

The teacher's eyebrow twitched. "What?"

Lucy felt like banging her head on the desk. Natsu looked at the teacher and said, "L-L-Lussy my nakama."

The teacher, familiar with Natsu's utter devotion to his friends, sighed and answered, "Yes, I know that Lucy is your friend, but you need to pay attention to what I am saying, not your friends!"

Natsu hiccupped. The teacher's eyebrows met in a sharp V as she frowned.

"Baa baa black sheep, have you any woooooool?" he sang. Now the teacher looked furious. She opened her mouth, probably to yell at the pink haired imbecile in front of her, but was interrupted by Lucy.

"W-wait!" She turned towards the teacher and said, "I think Natsu isn't feeling very well. He had a slight fever in the morning before class, but when I told him to go to the school nurse, he refused. His temperature has probably shot up."

Somewhere at the back of the class, Cana sniggered.

The teacher looked doubtful. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," replied Lucy, now more confident about her lying abilities. "May I take him to the Sick Room, please, since he seems incapable of going there by himself?"

The teacher hesitated for a moment, glancing at Natsu (who waved wildly at her), but then made up her mind and said, "Okay, you may go."

Lucy smiled in relief. "Thank god," she murmured as she dragged Natsu out of the classroom.

* * *

"Natsu, walk properly," sighed Lucy, exasperated. For some reason, Natsu couldn't, or wouldn't, walk in a straight line, so he kept veering away from her and then bumping into her periodically.

"I-I c-cannn't," whined Natsu. "D-dizzy gaaaaahh!"

"That's what you get for drinking so much," she scolded, holding his arm tightly to stop his erratic walking.

He took hold of her hand and laid his head on her shoulder, murmuring something unintelligible. She turned crimson. "N-Natsu…" she whispered, her emotions springing up to the forefront of her mind.

Upon hearing his name, the salmon haired boy suddenly took her by the shoulder and pushed her to the wall of the empty corridor. She squeaked in surprise as she found herself cornered by Natsu- the person who was supposed to be incapable of having romantic feelings.

And then he did _that_, that something which Lucy had been dreaming about for such a long time, the thought which intruded her mind whenever she was in the bus or in the shower, at times when she was totally unprepared-like now- sweet blissful images of herself and Natsu, together, her heart wandering away into the land of passion, while her mind logically told her that all her dreams were impossible.

He _kissed_ her. At first it was clumsy and un-coordinated, probably due to his blood-alcohol level, but then he got hold of the situation and held her tighter, one hand on the small of her back and the other threading through her golden tresses, his kisses becoming deeper and more precise; and she almost melted into a puddle of goo in his arms. They were kissing in the corridor, and anyone walking across the corridor would be able to see them, but she didn't care anymore. She threw her arms around his neck, kissing him back, happiness gushing through every vein in her body.

They broke apart after several moments. She breathed in, dazed, unable to organize her awry thoughts. And then, just like that, the kiss began replaying in her head, and her face stretched into a huge smile, her heart brimming with ecstasy and joy. But then her smile dissolved as something struck her.

In the meantime, Natsu had moved away from her, cheerily singing, "OOOOOO I KISSED LOOO-CEEEEE!"

She jumped at Natsu's loud voice, and looked around fearfully, afraid that they would be seen. She sighed in relief, then, when she saw that the corridor was still empty, apart from them.

"Shut up, idiot!" she snapped. Seriously, what was _with_ him and singing?

She dragged him all the way to the Sick Room, after that, with him warbling happily.

* * *

While the nurse took Natsu's temperature, Lucy leaned against the furthest wall in the room, her thoughts in a whirlwind. She was in a painful quandary. Natsu had kissed her, yes, but he was drunk. That means he hadn't been in the right state of mind when he had done that. She closed her eyes, her heart as heavy as lead. He probably wouldn't remember a thing, considering the amount of alcohol in his blood- and Lucy wasn't sure if this was good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, she wanted him to remember, because at the end of the day, she was only a normal teenager in love, and she wanted progress, a relationship, etc etc.

But on the other hand, she _didn't _want him to remember either. What if he had done all this because of the intoxicating liquor? What if he didn't have any feelings for her at all? What if this kiss would disrupt their friendship? Lucy cherished their bond of friendship more than anything in the world, because friends like Natsu were incredibly difficult to find- and she didn't want this kiss, however wonderful it had been, to destroy it. She clenched her fist, breathing hard.

She felt disheartened and heart-sore.

"Alright then," said the nurse cheerfully, jolting Lucy out of her reverie. "I've given him some sleeping pills, and now he's fast asleep, bless his little tiny cotton socks. He'll have a hangover when he wakes up, but that's what he gets for drinking in school."

Lucy looked at her frightfully, forgetting to point out that Natsu, in fact, _wasn't _wearing little tiny cotton socks, and the nurse laughed, saying, "Don't worry, Lucy, I'm not going to reveal your little secret, but make sure he doesn't come to me in this drunken state again. Why, there would have been real trouble if Erza would have seen him!"

"Oh, thank you," said Lucy, fervently, her eyes a reflection of her gratefulness. The nurse smiled back at her and told her to come back and take Natsu after a few hours.

* * *

Lucy made her way to the Health Room at the end of the day. Her heart was racing and a cold sweat had broken out on her forehead. Would Natsu remember? What would he say? Does he like her back? Or would he just ignore the kiss? Or would he ignore _her_?

Or would he feel awkward and embarrassed and stop talking to her? Her breath hitched painfully at the thought. She wouldn't be able to bear it if they weren't friends anymore.

Grrr. This was all Cana's fault.

_But maybe it's good that she gave him the alcohol_, a little voice inside her head whispered. _Maybe he liked you all along but hadn't realized it. Maybe all he needed was a push in the right direction._

She shook her head, frustrated. "My head's going to explode if I think about this anymore," she muttered, as she reached the Sick Room. Anxiety washed through her, and she hesitated before opening the door, but then she hardened her mind and pushed the door open.

The first thing she saw was Natsu, propped up against the bed rest, looking decidedly dejected. He didn't notice her.

"My head hurts," he mumbled, holding his head in his hands and looking down. He still hadn't seen her.

"I can't believe I drank so much," he groaned. "Stupid Cana."

Lucy pressed herself against the wall as quietly as she could so as to not alert him of her presence. Still looking down, the salmon haired boy whined, "And I can't believe I kissed Lucy. I probably did it all wrong. She'll hate me now."

Lucy's heart skipped a beat, but she remained silent, noiselessly urging him to speak more.

"What am I supposed to say to her?" he said, gripping his head harder. "I should have taken tips from that Ice Princess. Then all of this wouldn't have happened."

"You were fine," she spoke softly. Natsu's head snapped up in shock and his mouth fell open.

"You- you heard all that?"

She nodded, blushing furiously, avoiding eye contact. "I- I don't hate you, Natsu. I'm not mad at you. And you didn't do it wrong. You were just right."

When she finally scraped up the courage to look at him again, she was mortified to see him grinning widely.

"So I'm a good kisser?"

She laughed, her embarrassment driven away, and replied, "Well, it could have been better, but considering the fact that you were hardly in your senses, you were good."

Natsu gave her a sly look. "So you think I'll be better once this horrible headache goes away?"

She smiled. "Uh-huh."

He gave her his trademark grin then, making her feel all fluttery inside, and replied, "Great! I can't wait to show you my kissing skills tomorrow!"

Then he laughed at her bright red face and threw his pillow at her face, wincing a little, but heck, an alcohol induced headache wasn't going to stop the pyromaniac from having a pillow fight with his best friend. Who was probably going to be his girlfriend very soon.

Maybe she was already his girlfriend (he _had _kissed her, after all). The very thought made Natsu grin.

Lucy made a face at him and threw the pillow back at him; and this pillow fight continued until the nurse finally came in to stop them, and by that time the pair was laughing uncontrollably.

* * *

Lucy hummed as she walked home. The day which had started out so awfully, had ended up being a fantastic one. She felt light, free and happy- she was a prefect in Fairy High, she had awesome friends, she had _kissed _Natsu, and was holding his hand right now. What was the reason _not _to be happy?

"Why are you so happy?" asked her pink haired companion.

Feeling flirtatious, she slyly replied, "Maybe because I'm with you."

Then she laughed, her clear bell-like laughter reverberating throughout her body, and took off suddenly, and Natsu began to chase her, laughing along with her.

She would have to thank Cana tomorrow.

* * *

_Review please! :)_


End file.
